Ethiopian eggplant

Plant family

Solanums (Solanaceae)

Cultivation Break

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Moist

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

High

Light germinator

Germination temperature

24 - 28 °C (Degrees Celsius)

Plant distance

35 cm

Row spacing

55 cm

Seeding depth

0.5 cm

Instructions

Description

The Ethiopian eggplant (Solanum aethiopicum) is a plant species from the nightshade genus (Solanum) in the nightshade family (Solanaceae). the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Its varieties are grown as fruiting vegetables. Distribution The Ethiopian eggplant or African eggplant occurs naturally in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Through cultivation, however, the species has been introduced to numerous countries in Africa, South Asia and North and South America. Growth The Ethiopian eggplant is an annual, herbaceous plant that can grow up to 70 cm tall. It is hairy with stalked or erect, five to nine-rayed, star-shaped trichomes. The stems are covered with straight or slightly curved spines 2-5 mm long and 1-2 mm wide at the base. Leaf The upper leaves are often in unevenly shaped pairs. The leaf stalk is 2-7 cm long. The leaf blade is ovate to elongated-ovate and reaches a length of 10-20 cm and a width of 6-14 cm. The leaf blade is irregularly wavy and the tip can be pointed or blunt. The underside is covered with simple and star-shaped trichomes, along the leaf veins the pubescence is finely tomentose and consists only of star-shaped trichomes, often there are also awl-shaped spines with a length of 3-7 mm. Flower The inflorescences are outside the leaf axils due to concaulescence. They are racemose, consist of only a few flowers and are borne on a 1-1.5 cm long inflorescence stalk. The flower stalk is 5-12 cm long and covered with 0.2-2 mm long spines. The flowers are usually five-petaled, but can also be six to nine-petaled on cultivated plants. The calyx is bell-shaped, 5-7 mm long and 3-4 mm wide, with slightly irregular, ovate to ovate-lanceolate spikes. The corolla is white or slightly purple in color, star-shaped or star-wheel-shaped. It reaches a diameter of 1.5-2.5 cm, the corolla edge is about 6.5 mm wide. Fruit The fruits are orange to red-colored berries with a diameter of 1.5-3 cm, rarely they grow up to 5 cm in size. They are often furrowed four to six times lengthwise. They contain kidney-shaped seeds with a diameter of 2-3.5 mm. Use The ripe fruits of the Ethiopian eggplant are eaten raw or cooked and are also used as a remedy for colic and flatulence. The leaves are also used as food and are usually cooked before consumption. Studies have shown that the leaves have a mild antispasmodic effect.

Growing tips

🌞 Location & soil - Sunny to full sun, warm location - Protected from the wind, but airy - Ideal: south-facing wall, greenhouse, foil tunnel or balcony in full sun - The more warmth, the faster and more abundant the fruit production - Humus-rich, loose (ideal: tomato/vegetable soil + 20 % perlite or sand) - nutrient-rich soil - well-drained, permeable, no waterlogging 🌱 Sowing & planting - Pre-cultivation: February to early April - The earlier, the better - eggplants need plenty of warmth and a long development period - Germination temperature: 24-28 °C - Germination time: 7-21 days - Sowing depth: 0.5 cm (light germinator) - Substrate: Fine, loose sowing soil (with 10-20% perlite) - moisten slightly - Pricking out: with 1st pair of true leaves, nutrient-rich soil, 18-20°C - From a height of 20-25 cm, tie up with a stick - Planting: mid to end of May - Planting distance: 30-40 cm - Row spacing: 50-60 cm 💧 Care - Watering: little, evenly moist, always close to the ground - Basic fertilization: Compost or well-rotted manure in spring - Fertilization: heavy feeder (weekly liquid fertilizer / slow-release fertilizer) - Tie up the main shoot - Thin out side shoots only slightly - Mulching 🌾 Harvest - Harvest time: August to October - Harvest continuously for new fruit set - Leaves & fruits edible - Ripeness: when the skin is shiny and gives slightly - Young fruits taste milder ❄️ Winter protection - Not frost-hardy - Overwintering possible: bright, 10-15°C, little watering - Avoid waterlogging 🌿 Good neighbors - Basil, marigold, marigolds, borage - Beans, peas, spinach, lettuce, garlic - Echinacea, catmint, phlox, yarrow, ornamental grasses, cosmos, magerites - Oregano, thyme, savory, lemon balm, dill, coriander - Chives, onions, chard, carrots - Parsnips, beet, black salsify, celery - Potentilla, spirea, summer lilac, low roses - Mint (in pots), comfrey, sunflower - Strawberries, gooseberries, currants 🚫 Bad neighbors - Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, chili, eggplant - Cabbages, pumpkins, turnips, rapeseed, corn, fennel, wormwood, sage - Cranesbill, lady's mantle, larkspur, lavender, limb herbs, lupine - Sedum, houseleek - Woodruff, astilbe, Jerusalem artichoke, ivy, goutweed, lovage - Ferns, funkia, bamboo, reeds, begonia, hellebore, purple bellflower - hazel, elder, privet, forsythia, hydrangea - Walnut, maple, birch, willow, chestnut, rhododendron, weigelie - Raspberries, blueberries 🍂 Diseases - Powdery and downy mildew - Verticillium wilt - Gray mold - Leaf spot diseases - Mosaic viruses (e.g. TMV) - Root rot Pests - Aphids - Whitefly - Caterpillars, cabbage white butterfly - leaf miners - Spider mites - thrips - Colorado potato beetle - snails